Millions managed, one mission: Supporting the UB Community

by DENISE WOLFE

When Ashley Gasorowski graduated from St. John Fisher University in Rochester with a bachelor's degree in business management, the year was 2009 and the country was at the peak of a recession. Faced with a barren job market, she did what many did: she went back to school. An MBA with a concentration in human resources from Clarkson University followed, along with an unexpected first act in state government.

"It was a direction I hadn't anticipated going in," Gasorowski says of her first role, a budget analyst trainee position with the New York State Office of Mental Health in Albany in 2010. This was an introduction to the New York state financial world, where she monitored expenditures for the agency's technology and youth psychiatric programs, analyzed the impact of legislation and reviewed executive budget proposals. This work gave Gasorowski a fluency in public-sector finance that few come by so early.

A move to the University at Albany, State University of New York's central budget office deepened that fluency further, where Gasorowski monitored and managed the operations of the university's Income Fund Reimbursement revenue and roughly 500 accounts within the fund, in addition to the university's State University Tuition Reimbursable Accounts and summer session fund. She was good at the work, but she felt a pull to return to Western New York.

"I really wanted to get back home to Buffalo, where all of my family and friends were," she says. In 2014, a position as a resource analyst in UB's Office of Resource Planning gave her that homecoming and a panoramic view of how a major research university actually functions. 

She served as the primary analyst for the School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, Student Life and the chief information officer's office, providing budget guidance and support, policy interpretation, training and mentoring staff on issues related to budget and resource analysis. Responsibilities ranged from forecasting Broad-Based fee rate increases and revenue based on yearly enrollment to coordinating the Annual Resource Planning Process, while working within the parameters of UB and SUNY policies.

"I knew at some point I would want to work in a unit and see the actual impact on students and our UB community, rather than just seeing the numbers on a spreadsheet in a central office, which can feel far removed from the action," she said.

That instinct led her to University Libraries in 2018, first as business officer and eventually as director of resource management, the role she holds today.

Ask Gasorowski what resource management means in a library setting and she'll tell you it's more than most people expect. Her portfolio encompasses the libraries' finances, its physical spaces and the people who keep everything running, what she describes as "the operational backbone of the library." On any given day, that might mean reviewing spending patterns, meeting with department heads about upcoming needs or aligning budget decisions with the UB Libraries' strategic priorities. 

The scale of that stewardship surprises people. UB Libraries manages millions of dollars in state funds, endowments, grants and student-supported fees, all while working within the compliance requirements of a state entity. "People may be surprised to learn how complex financial management is, not just within a university, but as a government agency," Gasorowski said. A major part of her role, she adds, is translation — taking institutional goals and turning them into practical resource decisions: "How are we going to accomplish this with the resources we have, and what resources do we need?"

When that work goes well, the effects ripple outward. "When financial resources are managed well, the library can provide access to high-quality information, support research and create amazing spaces for our students to thrive in," she said.

Recent years have brought a wave of new university-wide business systems and process changes — Concur, ShopBlue, Blue Services, UPlan budgeting & forecasting tool, Performance Online Management — and her team has led their rollout within the libraries alongside a steady run of recruitments and projects. The libraries have also received university funding investments for several consecutive years, a signal, she believes, of the value the institution places on the work. She is careful not to claim the credit. "I'm beyond grateful to have an amazing team," she said.

Most of Gasorowski's time away from work belongs to her 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. The family makes multiple trips to Walt Disney World each year. "Yes, we are that Disney family," she jokes. She also carves out pockets of solitude in her garage gym, where a quick workout doubles as her version of a reset button.

It is a fitting reflection of how she approaches everything: with intention, balance and an eye toward what matters most — at work, and at home.